Brooking defends Phillips

Wade Phillips drew media scrutiny for giving the Cowboys the day off Monday.

It’s common in the NFL for coaches to give players the day off following a big Sunday win, a practice commonly referred to as “Victory Monday.” The Cowboys played well in all three phases of the game in clobbering the Falcons 37-21.

But there were still too many penalties, dropped passes and defensive breakdowns for Dallas to be completely happy with its effort. That’s why some in the media thought Phillips sent the wrong message by giving the players the day off.

No so, said Keith Brooking, the rugged 12-year linebacker. He said it’s common for coaches to do exactly what Phillips did.

“Oh yeah, especially in the middle part of the year and the latter part of the year,” Brooking told reporters in Irving. “This time of the year is when you start getting those types of days as a football team. That was very common.”